Shard-Class Scout
The Shard-Class Scout is a small spaceship used on the Brotherhood of Darkness RP Board. It's was first constructed by the Centauri and uses their advanced directed energy weapon designs as well as their semi-organic skin covering its hull. It's taken it's place as one of the fastest most maneuverable craft in the galaxy for it's size. Powerplant/Engines The ship is powered by two cold fusion reactors, linked directly to the main engines, just like the design of the Cutter's hypermatter reactor engines. Her port and starboard weapons are also directly tied into these reactors. Main Propulsion is produced by two main ion engine drives as well as a third ion engine, amidships on the ventral surface. The wide placement of her main engines offer vastly increased maneuverability in space but are very vulnerable to damage. They also provide most of the ships considerable speed. Her third engine provides an additional boost of speed as well as stability in atmospheric flight and can channel it's thrust downward to help with vertical takeoffs and landings. 4 repulsor arrays on the underside of the ship provide lift while operating close to a planet. Weapons Like in all their ships, the Centauri designers have used their expertise in directed energy weapons to provide the Shard with the firepower to make would be attackers think twice. She has 2, double laser cannons and a single composite laser beam. The composite laser beam is in the bow. it is less powerful then the Cutter's larger version but has a more advanced targeting system. The Cutter requires that your bow be pointed directly at your target. The Shards Composite laser beam is focused into an emitter dish before firing. The emitter dish can rotate and pivot on a 'U' Joint allowing it to fire the beam at 20 degree angles from the tip of the bow. Her double laser cannons are just in front of the engines and tied directly into her cold fusion reactors. They are powerful laser cannons, due to their being tied directly to the ships main power supply, but have a tendency to overheat when in atmosphere. Shields/Hull The ship itself is made from light weight titanium, purchased from Ilium mining operations. The titanium hull is light and strong but definately not as strong as a standard durasteel hull. A running joke among those who purchase the Shard is that her Transparasteel viewports are structurally stronger then her titanium hull. Surrounding the entire ship is an organic skin developed by the Centauri. They're signature technological development, it's what makes their ships unmistakable from the rest of the ships in the galaxy. The skin is adaptive, responding to attacks against it and regrowing damaged areas to be more resistant to that type of attack in the future. A year after being purchased and no two Shards will look alike. The Shard barely has any shielding at all. She has the standard navigational shields but her defensive shields are only rated for light laser strikes and blaster bolts. It will not stand up to capitol ship mounted heavy laser cannons or turbolasers.